Upon hearing this, the head nanny almost immediately changed color and angrily said, "Fool, she's teasing you. If you go and tell the master like that, you can quit your job here."
Old Chen was actually a man who kept his head down and focused on getting the information out of Ye Ying, without even considering whether what she said was true. Perhaps he thought that a young girl like her couldn't possibly endure such physical pain, and that what she blurted out must be true.
"Don't worry, Granny, I don't believe we can't get this little girl to talk. I, Old Chen, was actually tricked by such a young brat. Humph." Old Chen's gloomy face immediately turned as black as if covered with a layer of oilcloth.
He turned and strode into the house, glaring at the woman who was now curled up on the wooden stake. He shouted, "Fine, you're really something. What are you all still standing there for? This little brat dared to play me for a fool. If it weren't for Granny's warning, none of us brothers would be able to stay here."
"That little bitch has some guts, alright, let's have some fun. Put her on the tiger bench." Old Chen spat viciously on the ground.
The two servants were also enraged, and viciously dragged Ye Ying off the wooden stake like a sack of potatoes. In truth, her body was badly injured; she had been beaten and bruised, and then doused with salt water, making the pain excruciating. She didn't know why she was persisting like this. Was it for Madam Yin? It didn't seem so. Madam Yin hadn't been particularly kind to her; it was only because she had followed her all the way from Yangzhou, entered the Fourth Prince's mansion together, shared the days of being out of favor, shared the contempt, and shared the exploitation. But how could she escape this fate?
Ye Ying was forced onto a bench by two men, who placed her legs on a long bench. Then, they kept placing wooden blocks under her feet, one after another. Ye Ying felt as if her legs were about to be broken. She cried, cried bitterly. She remembered that she had been bought into the Yin family by a slave trader when she was eight years old. She remembered that her mother loved her very much. Her mother told her that she was beautiful and that she would find her a good family in the future. But her gambling father had gambled her away, almost selling her into a brothel, and finally she was sold to a slave trader, eventually becoming Yin's personal maid in the Yin household. To be fair, her life in the Yin household was relatively stable. Although Yin's mother was not very favored, at least she didn't have to worry about food and clothing, only suffering some mistreatment.
Waves of pain shot through her legs, and Ye Ying knew that her inner resolve was crumbling little by little. After all, she was just a girl in her late teens, and she couldn't bear this endless and relentless torment any longer.
Just as Old Chen was about to break her arm, Ye Ying, already tortured beyond recognition, helplessly revealed how Madam Yin had replaced the medicine pot used to decoct the Third Prince's medicine with a ceramic pot infested with red ginseng. She also recounted how she had repeatedly used the Third Prince's illness to lure the Fourth Prince, even burning incense in the room that could arouse men's desires, yet still failing to achieve her goal—a truly tragic situation.
The head nanny carefully observed the Fourth Master's expression and told him what Ye Ying had said little by little.
"Understood. Ye Ying, it seems everyone else should be expelled. Since they're so unhelpful, they don't need to stay in the manor." The Fourth Master was showing mercy; he didn't punish them all, just expelling them was already a lenient act. You must know, he is the Emperor's son; disposing of useless people is a piece of cake for him.
"Master, since Ye Ying has confessed, give her some medicine and send her out." Lan Qin knew that if Yin Shi was dealt with, her personal maid would not escape.
“You are merciful, but she and Madam Yin are accomplices. How dare she lay a hand on the Third Prince? If we let him go like this, wouldn’t everyone be fearless in the future?”
"She was just a maidservant, she had no choice. I just think that people can be forgiven for what they do when they are not in control of their own lives. I just think that Ye Ying was just a maidservant, but she was still a life. I just don't understand why Madam Yin's purpose was only to lure the master over often, so why did she have to murder the Third Prince? The lily of the valley pollen poison didn't appear overnight, but slowly seeped into the Third Prince's body," Lan Qin said.
The Fourth Prince nodded, walked behind his desk, and murmured, "Madam Yin was so devoted to the Third Prince that even I was deceived by her. But she truly had no reason to plot against the Third Prince. Besides her, there were others who wanted to harm my Third Prince. How despicable, how hateful!!"
Fourth Master suddenly slammed his fist on the table, knocking the writing brush from the inkstone.
Lanqin wanted to speak, but after moving her lips, she held back.
"What do you want to say? Why are you hesitating?" Fourth Master asked, noticing Lanqin's hesitant expression.
"Why don't we ask Madam Yin? After all, she has taken care of the Third Prince for so long. Who could possibly poison the Third Prince under her very nose?" Lanqin suggested.
"Let's go to the Fujin's place. As the principal wife, she'll inevitably be present for matters concerning the inner quarters. You should accompany me as well." The Fourth Prince sighed softly.
Faced with these insidious and vicious schemes in the inner quarters, the Fourth Prince really didn't have much energy to spare for them, which is why his wife was able to control everything.
Lanqin and Fourth Master walked together toward the main courtyard, one in front of the other. Fourth Master wore a black cloak, and his long braid was tied with a royal blue silk thread. Lanqin noticed that the silk thread at the end of his hair was a little loose, probably because it had come undone while they were resting in the room earlier.
“My lord, why don’t we sit in that pavilion for a while? Your hair is a little loose, let me tighten it for you,” Lanqin said, wearing a snow fox fur cloak.
Su Peisheng, who was following behind, saw Fourth Master turn around, take Lanqin's hand, and lead her to a small wooden pavilion by the roadside. He and Cui Niang exchanged a glance and silently stood guard outside the pavilion.
Lanqin, behind Fourth Master's back, picked up his braid tassel, took off the bottom section, and began to braid it.
"Qin'er, who do you think it is? Who wants to harm the Third Prince?" The Fourth Prince's voice sounded somewhat ethereal.
Lanqin couldn't see the Fourth Master's face, but she could hear a hint of his helplessness and suppressed anger in his voice.
He was suspicious, wasn't he? He was also unwilling to acknowledge that person!
Lanqin smiled weakly and said, "I can't guess. My lord, what would you do if that person were someone who would be difficult for you to deal with?"
The Fourth Prince raised his head, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly said, "I will not allow anyone to harm my offspring again, no matter who she is!"
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